Overcoming Insurmountable Odds
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: A tale that I coauthored with BrightStarAngie. Credit for the epic actually comes from her talented mind, I just helped pen the story and hopes that someday we may actually see more Lyoko of this calibre in the future. One can only wish that this sort of story would actually occur, but even if it doesn't see the light of day on the small silver screen, at least it is here for all
1. Chapter 1

Overcoming Insurmountable Odds

Synopsis: Ulrich finds himself tormented by nightmares about Ninjas controlled by Professor Alistair Rochead's supercomputer will gain control of Lyoko through their avatars and lay seige on the entire European grid, not just France alone. When this happens, XANA will not only have control of Lyoko thanks to the dark workings of his Ninja underlings but of most of Europe and can begin making demands of world leaders as he wills. The secret of Lyoko will be known and the Kadic Warriors' identities will be exposed. Not only that but also a Pencak Silat competition is taking place, one in which Ulrich, Sissi and Lily are involved. Feeling addled, Ulrich nearly gives into fear before Jim sets him back on the right track to beat petrification. His friends motivate him to not give up on winning the competition and owe it to his prognostication being true about Alistair's intentions/views of what he deems to be technophilia/cybertopia.

Chapter 1—Dreams into Nightmares

Ulrich typically had no trouble falling to sleep after a long day at school or exploring Lyoko with his friends. Lyoko had seemed unusually quiet and XANA inactive but Ulrich could sense that the sinister virus was certainly up to his old schemes again. This wouldn't have bothered him inasmuch as there was a Pencak Silat tournament taking place and he would be competing for first place.

With a steely resolve after a lavish evening meal and sparring practice, Ulrich plopped himself into bed and quickly went to sleep. His dreams began innocently and sweetly enough. He was in a wheat field, immersed in the sunlight. There were errant clouds in the sky creating beautiful images of animals and even the faces of his friends. He could see Yumi in a sundress, swirling around and laughing and ran to join her. The minute he rushed to embrace her, she disipated into a pile of sakura blossoms. It usually wasn't anything to give him pause or disturb him until the weather and atmosphere changed drastically.

He could hear a low, sardonic, sadistic, deep cackle that made his hair stand up on end. The sweat had begun to trickle down his brow but his resolve kept him from becoming too terribly unsteady until he saw an unusual phantasmagora of dark figures swirling around him. They were swift, but when trying to fight against them, they rematerilized and would leg sweep him, knocking him to the ground. They didn't speak but were terribly sinister and he knew that they weren't XANA's creation but someone else's. One of the lead ninjas began charging at Ulrich with a sword, and then that was when he awoke with a near scream.

'This is really serious.', he thought to himself, nearly terrified by the whole ordeal, wondering who was behind these mysterious, insideous figures. He had encountered an article only days earlier about a genius who had built his own supercomputer for the use of furthering mankind's development. Something about the photo in the snippet had him disturbed, though. The scientist who had created this incredible machine was named Professor Rouchead Tyron and he had been in recent news for his controversial views on artificial intelligence and his belief in making cyberhumanity a reality. Someday he even planned on transmitting his intellect into the supercomputer long before he died, but the algorythims for doing so were incredibly detailed and challenging.

Ulrich wondered if what he had seen was a fortelling of what was to become. If this Professor Rochead was who he suspected he had to tell his friends about it before matters went out of hand. However, Ulrich had another problem to attend to; the competition.

He knew he would be pitted against Lily and Sissi and began to feel his confidence begin to flag. He didn't want to set a bad example for them by resigning from the tournament but the uneasy way in which he felt nearly gave him nausea. If he could talk to anyone about this, it would be Jim. Jim would understand.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2—Getting the Ball Rolling

Jim heard Ulrich walking down the hallways after hours and could sense that something wasn't right.

'Hey, kiddo, what's up ?', he inquired, tousling the boy's hair.

'It's this nightmare I had. You're probably going to think I'm cuckoo with what I'm about to say, though.', Ulrich replied. Jim shook his head left to right.

'No way. Go ahead, tell me what your nightmare was about.', Jim stated, patting the youngster on the shoulder.

"Well, I was in a large wheat field. Yumi ran up to me but she disappeared. Then these weird ninja-looking guys came and surrounded me.", Ulrich explained.

"Go on.", Jim said, prodding Ulrich further. This nightmare was extremely intriguing already, Jim mused.

"Anyway, they were unlike any enemy I've ever seen before. They were avatars being controlled by someone else. Not like the mindless goons that XANA usually sends to attack us in Lyoko. It's almost as if they knew my every move though. I couldn't fight back and I was overcome. That's when I woke up, nearly shrieking my head off.', Ulrich said.

'That certainly _is_ terrifying. What you said though is extremely telling. I have a feeling that there might be more to what you saw in that imaginative mind of yours. I think that you were being sent a message, subconciously.', Jim surmised.

'Jeremie would _love_ to hear that theory. I don't think you're far off, but there is an article I read in the latest periodical that might shed light on this. It's about Professor Alistair Rochead and his latest invention.', Ulrich said

'I have seen interviews with Rochead and his slant on 'technology as savior' without humankind's involvement is very disturbian, distopian and downright eerie.', Jim said. There wasn't any concrete evidence as if Tyron wanted to make everyone dependent on his technology, but there was plenty of information available on the supercomputer he had built. It controlled the main powergrid to Europe, giving him the ability to hold most of Europe in his palm if he decided to turn off the power.

'I'll relay this information to Jeramie, Aelita and the others. It'll be useful the next time we're called to Lyoko. I don't know why but I have a bad feeling XANA is up to something fowl with Alistair, or is in the process of it. We don't have a lot of time to waste. By the way, the next time you come across those nasty ninjas, use your senses. Your body will know how to respond.', Jim said, patting the boy on the head before sending him back to sleep.

'Use your senses ? What on earth could he mean by that ?', Ulrich thought, stumped by the poser Jim's advice had created. He shrugged off his confusion, yawned, stretched, and headed back to bed. Maybe Jeramie would have some more ideas about this Tyron fellow with the snippet Jim had laying about, he mused. Only time would tell.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-The Hitch in Investigating Rochead

It turned out that Ulrich had every right to be suspcious about Rochead. Jeramie and Aelita's information only proved that the Professor was corrupt and they even got a location as to where the supercomputer was kept, away from prying eyes. Apparently it could only be operated by Rochead and had been set up with biometrics just to keep it from being hacked. Aelita, however, could manipulate code, so shutting down the computer before an attack occurred would be easy. The only trouble was getting in to Rochead's office without being caught by survielence and surpassing his behemoth guards.

It seemed that the Lyoko Warriors had _other_ trouble on their hands other than infiltrating Tyron's laboratory without detection. Aelita was being held for ransom by the Ninjas. Ulrich tried not showing fear in front of his friends, but his knees continued to knock inspite his best efforts. He was nearly paralized.

'I'm just going to hold you back if I'm scanned into Lyoko. Just...go on. Go on without me !', Ulrich said, angrily hitting the wall in disgust. Yumi was getting prepared to go into Lyoko, and she placed her hand upon his shoulder.

'You're never going to overcome this fear if you don't face it. We'll be right beside you, and what's more, I will support you. We'll do it together.', Yumi said. Ulrich heaved a huge sigh of rumination. He knew she was right, as usual. Luckily, they weren't alone. Odd, Ulrich, Emily, Yumi and William would be traveling to Lyoko to save their friend. The other, stealthier members like Lily and Tanya, would have the privilidge and challenge of sneaking into Rochead's lab for more concrete proof of his bent mentality and horrifying vision of the future.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4-Into Lyoko, Into the Dragon's Lair

Half of the gang waited for Jeramie to initialize the scanners. He would be doing the job of two people; watching his friends in Lyoko, hoping they could retrieve Aelita, whom he was certain wanted out of the clutches of XANA and Rochead's intrepid Ninjas as well as keeping an eye on the rest of the Warriors in Rochead's laboratory. Luckily, Jeramie was a multitasker and his genius mind could handle more than one daunting scenario without even breaking a sweat. He only hoped that his friends were up to the task of handling this battle on both fronts; virtual and actual.

Taelia had to admit, she was mesmerized by the impeccable nature of the labratory and how organized everything was. None of them couldn't help but be a bit transfixed by the immensity of it all. Suzanne kept them all focused, however, leading them forward in their stealth mission. Their newly updated bodysuits had given them the power of camofladge. Slipping past the guards had been the simplest part thus far. They now had to use poise, balance and flexibility to overcome the massive network of lasers in the rooms to follow. Rochead certainly wasn't fooling around when it came to security.

Lily used her watch to jam the signals in the following rooms. The nettles of lasers disappered quickly.

'Since when do you recieve a scrambler ? Why weren't we informed on that ?', Taelia questioned, a little jealous that she hadn't thought of using the same tact of infiltration that her friend had. Lily was always one step ahead of her friends in strategy.

'I've been tinkering around when we're not hanging out.', Lily confessed.

'You have that much free time ? Incredible.', Herve remarked, giving Lily a sort of backhanded compliment. Lily simply smiled and lead the expedition forward, but they were all blocked by Rochead, busily typing on his computer. One of them would have to come up with a diversion, and fast.

The Warriors virtualized and traveled through the Digial Sea toward the Cortex using Skidbladnir. They quickly boarded the Megapod and there was a deathly, unsettling quiet. The Warriors knew that this serenity wouldn't last long. XANA had sensed their presense and sent Tarantulas swiping at their heels, jumping upon the vehicle. Yumi and Odd quickly fight them off, but they tenaciously clung on, even when the terrain changed. The Megapod was isolated on a high platform and they were at ther mercy of the monsters.

Although Ulrich couldn't go with them to Lyoko and had to participate in the competition (feeling slightly guilty about it inwardly and showing a calm exterior and confident throughout the bouts he was in) he won the competition and Sissi was a close second place winner. It was a surprise win for Kadic, but everyone in the stands was cheering. He knew he couldn't stay for recevial of his trophy and would have to explain himself later, but like Sissi, he realized that his friends' lives were in danger. The presenter was looking everywhere for his victorious pisalats, but they were already miles away from the gym, running towards the Factory, Jim leading the way.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5-The Tipping Point

Ulrich, Sissi and Jim arrived at the Factory, but without the Megapod they couldn't get to the Dome.

'We're just spectators in this whole debacle.', Ulrich groaned. Jim patted his shoulder motivationally and put on a headset.

'I'll guide you through this. It'll be a little dicy at first, but with the upgrades Jeramie made to your suits, I'm certain you'll find your destination so much easier.', Jim said.

'Upgrades ? What upgrades ? Jeramie never told us about anything of the sort !', Sissi stated, in a sense of confoundment.

'You'll see !', Jim said, wriggling his eyebrows. Trusting her surrogate dad, she and Ulrich were digitized and noticed that they had _wings_ attached to their suits. Even without a Megapod, they could soar over the Digital Sea and locate their friends easily with their enhanced visors. Upgrades, indeed !

'Amazing !', Sissi exclaimed.

'Wow !', Ulrich added, as the two glided inconspicously to the scene of the battle. The Ninjas were beginning to crowd around them, especially Ulrich. At first, he was a bit nervous but he used Jim's advice of being unpredictable. Before he knew it he was devirtualizing Ninjas left and right, but they were being distracted back at the laboratory with the other Warriors in play. It was chaos there but thus far, the Warriors were winning the battle in exceptional form.

With the aid of a Bluetooth, Taelia called the police and had Rochead brought in for endangerment of human lives. The police were a bit dubious of this extreme claim but they knew further investigation was called for. After what they had seen in the laboratory, they had right to be suspicious of this genius' intentions, especially since they didn't look so innocent at first blush. These kids would be rewarded for their bravery but they asked not to be mentioned. Mum was the word, even though the police weren't really certain why they didn't want the credit for being so intrepid in the face of outright danger.

XANA had begun to shrink back and realized that he was without an ally in the war he had started. The Ninjas were no longer in commission and he had lost contact with Rochead and his men.

'A dual pronged attack ? Clever. Very clever indeed. You might've won this time, Warriors. Next time you won't be so fortunate.', XANA averred, gritting his teeth and fleeing into his grotto.

'That's right, run and hide. Coward !', Odd said, confidently after he had devirtualized another Tarantula without even blinking.

'Good job, all of you. Teamwork really pulled us through this time.', Jim said, with a hefty exhale of relief. His training had really helped them immensely in this situation, but he wasn't about to admit that aloud.

'That and Jeramie's improvements on our suits and armaments.', William stated, astutely. Jeramie found himself bashfully putting his arm behind his head. Aelita had to concur though. His innovation had won them this victory. It had been nearly impossible, but again, his creativity had given them the upper hand.

'I owe you a kiss when I return.', Aelita said, coquettishly. Jeramie turned beet red at Aelita's forthrightness, but he couldn't wait to be kissed by her again. It made all of the risk he had put everyone through worthwhile; and not only that, the Lyokians were safe from XANA's tyranny one more day.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6-Ultimate Victory

Alistair had been prosecuted by the police for a myriad of different charges including endangerment of lives and possible global terrorism. The man was a megalomaniac in professor's clothing and he used that persona to gain trust from what he called 'the rabble' off camera in now unclassified papers on his true feelings about human beings in general. Nevertheless, heretofore, he would be in jail for quite some time and disallowed any access to any technology of any sort. All for the better, the Warriors felt.

The day was yet to be through and Principal Delmas was still looking for Ulrich and Sissi. He was still puzzled as why Ulrich had left so early without accepting his trophy. From a distance, he could see Ulrich and his friends rushing back to the auditorium, knowing that he and they had quite a bit of explaining to do.

Ulrich first made a speech and apologised. Everything he had said made perfect sense and he found nothing out of the ordinary concerning Ulrich's story. He gladly handed the large Silat trophy to Ulrich and patted him heartily on the back.

'You truly deserve this. You shone brighter than any other silater on the mat today.', the Principal whispered as an aside. No one else heard but Jim could read Principal Delmas' lips and cried for sheer joy. He couldn't have been more proud of Ulrich and his recent surge of maturity. The whole school was celebrating this auspicious night, but Ulrich all the moreso . This lesson would last him the rest of his life and bouy him when times were tough. Everything had proven that his friends truly were the most powerful force ever known anywhere in the Universe. Anything else was just a ripple left in the wake of the Warriors' loyalty.


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

After the warm reception Ulrich and Sissi had recieved, Jim and Suzanne surprised them with a trip to the local arcade and pizzaria. It was pretty indulgent given the school's budget but the two educators would spare no expense to let everyone in on a little celebratory diversion now and then to break the monotony of academia.

Once the students had their fill of junk food, everyone started to head back to their dormitories. Everyone came to Ulrich to offer him a hearty hug and thanked him for his indomitable strength and courage in the face of peril.

'Jim helped me stick to my guns. Besides, what kind of friend would I have been if I just watched the Ninjas wail on you from a distance ?', Ulrich confessed. Yumi dipped him down into her arms and gave him a huge smooch, which left everyone 'oooing' in tell-tale tones. Yawning and stretching, all of the friends decided to head to bed for the night and looked forward to whatever adventures lay in wait the day ahead. For now, they were exhausted. Beds were looking very comfortable and inviting. Without any further ado, they said their goodnights, sunk under their covers, and dreamt of the infinite possibilities Kadic offered them tomorrow.

Lyoko continues to remain free and safe from XANA's tyranny. The Lyokians made sure though that if evil arose again, the Warriors would be called to ensure that the computer nexus remained safe and stable.

The End


End file.
